"Do not buy this digicam if you have Windows XP. This camera
does not work with Windows XP."

The above letter was posted in the "Customer Reviews" page on
the website of a major retailer. The digicam purchased by this
customer was made by a major manufacturer of consumer electronic
products. Further down there was another customer review about the
same camera: "This camera does work with Windows XP, but the PC
takes as long as two minutes to recognize the camera...if you have
XP, then just give it more time...eventually it will load."

A bit further down was this review:

"If you follow the instruction manual then you can not download.
Go to the manufacturer's website, find the FAQ's (Frequently Asked
Questions), and follow THOSE instructions; the camera will then
download."

Here is the last review of the camera:

"This camera does NOT work with XP...XP did not recognize the
camera at all, and it crashed my system four times."

"Easy One-Step Downloading, just Plug-N-Go, it is so easy..."
Down below though, in small print it adds: "Plug-N-Go works ONLY
with XP."

What's Going on Here?

Consumers may be having so many problems because digicam
manufacturers are still stuck in the "Horse-and-Buggy" stage of the
product cycle. The early digicams did not have a removable memory
card, so we were forced to connect the camera to the computer via a
cable and download our pictures from the camera itself. This
procedure required us to download so-called "camera drivers" to the
computer. We also had to use an AC adapter to power the camera to
prevent us from losing our precious pictures in case the batteries
decided to expire while we were in the process of downloading them
to the PC.

But today, practically all digicams priced around $100 and
upward have a removable memory card. So why are we still using "USB
cables," "camera drivers," and "AC adapters?" Didn't anybody
realize that a simple-to-use, low-cost, card reader can replace all
these items?

Several years ago, Kodak did sell a simple 2-megapixel camera
(DC-3800) that was packaged without any software or a USB cable.
The only accessory that came with the camera was a Kodak card
reader. At the time, I used this camera and enjoyed its utter
simplicity. It was easy to download the memory card to the computer
for emailing photos. It produced great prints when I plugged the
memory card into the CF slot on my Kodak home printer. So why was
it discontinued? Perhaps it arrived "before the consumer was ready
for it?" Or perhaps it was just too expensive at that time.

Consumer research has shown, again and again that consumers have
major difficulties whenever they try to connect anything to their
PCbe it a printer, a scanner, a digicam, an external storage
device, or anything else. Consumers also have difficulties whenever
they try to load a software CD-ROM into the PC. So why do we keep
giving them "camera drivers" to load into their PCs? Why do almost
all digicam manufacturers have this "follow the herd" mentality?
Why do they use the same out-of-date system?

Did you notice that I said "almost all?" There is, at least, one
exception: Olympus. The Olympus cameras do not require any
software. The camera can be plugged into the computer and the
computer will recognize it as an "external drive." The AC adapter
though is still necessary. Kodak has also come up with a
"compromise:" The "EasyShare" system. The EasyShare software is
really terrific. However, I am not that enthusiastic about the
docking station because, I feel, it contributes very little to the
download function. A simple card reader would do the job just as
rapidly and just as easily; and a simple $10 battery charger would
charge the batteries just as nicely.

What the Photo Dealer Can Do to Help

OKso the manufacturers have gotten it a wee bit wrong. So now it
is up to the photo dealer to put it right.

To start with, photo dealers should not let a digicam customer
leave their store without a card reader, and an easy-to-use photo
software program. In my opinion, the simplest programs are:

• Kodak EasyShare (the latest version only).

• Lexar Shoot-N-Share.

• Fuji FinePix.

• Pixology Piccolo.

Next, make sure that the customer understands the "limitations"
of alkaline batteries in a digicam. Do your utmost to sell a set of
NIMH batteries and a charger. If the customer has a laptop
computer, then a PCMCIA adapter will be a very useful
accessory.

Lastly, keep a PC-less printer on your counter and demonstrate
how easy it is to make prints at home. Of all the PC-less printers,
I have found that the Epsons have the greatest appeal to
non-technical consumers.